The Asthma and Poverty: A Panel Discussion event was co-hosed by Fight Asthma Milwaukee and the City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance, held at Community Advocates on April 7th. There were approximately 50 attendees.

The event kicked off by showing clips from the Dateline special on asthma and poverty, focusing on two families that resided in NYC public housing. Home triggers such as mold, pests, and environmental tobacco smoke can have an adverse effect on people with asthma, especially children. There are a disproportionate number of people in low income communities who bear the burden of asthma. Action taken on reducing triggers can reduce harm associated with asthma and, in turn, healthcare dollars.

Milwaukee is no stranger to asthma, with some of the highest rates in the state. Addressing what we can do to fix these issues was a panel of speakers, comprised of Alderman Davis; Sally Nickerson of the Westlawn Resident Council; Charonda Farrington, who participated in the Healthy Homes Project; and Hashim Zaibak, a pharmacologist who does in-home patient visits and asthma assessments. The panel was moderated by LaShawndra Vernon of the United Way/Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families.

The speakers discussed their experience with either their own asthma or their children’s asthma and the increased education and advocacy that must take place in order to fix the issue of asthma in Milwaukee. Participants left inspired and ready to take on the problem of asthma with the network of public health professionals that will work alongside them!

Link to photo: http://tinypic.com/r/5kejxy/8